In Desperation
by tulip meadow
Summary: Sarah thought the Goblin King was fooling her to get her away from Toby, so she tried not to notice his attentions. Two years after her adventures in the Labyrinth, though, she still is drawn to the famous red book... Suddenly the family sinks into debts, and Jareth offers to help them. In exchange for Sarah's hand in marriage, of course. IT WON'T BE A LONG STORY. Just fluff.
1. Chapter 1

**I found dozens of such fanfics based on Pride and Prejudice, so decided to give the idea a try in the Labyrinth fandom.**

* * *

**The Agreement**

Robert Williams looked at the money they had and sighed:

"It's no use, Irene. We'll have to move out of the house. Even if we sell it, it will only cover half of the bills."

His wife sobbed:

"What do we do? We have two children to feed! And we need at least something just to rent a house."

"If only Linda hadn't died in that airplane crash… She was proud and selfish, but not completely merciless," Robert murmured. His first wife Linda, a Hollywood star, died a year and a half ago. Everything she had passed to her third or fourth husband, who refused to have any connection with the Williams family.

The new financial crisis ruined all of them. Robert's company went bankrupt, Irene was fired because she wasn't a very valuable worker. So the couple with their three-year-old son Toby and Robert's seventeen-year-old daughter Sarah was sitting with no money and a mountain of debts. Sarah, an ethereal imaginative young lady, could do naught to help them but practice creative writing. Unfortunately, her fairytales were never published: the publishers found them too difficult for little kids' minds.

As Robert tried to comfort his desperate wife, Sarah came downstairs, reading her favorite fantasy book. Robert looked at his daughter with a hint of anger:

"Sarah! You're reading children's stories while we are trying to figure out how to support our lives!"

He walked to the girl and glanced at the book.

"A beautiful young girl… the Goblin King… the Castle Beyond the Goblin City… Honestly, Sarah, do you really believe in all this?"

"Yes!" Sarah said firmly. "And it cheers Toby up."

She made herself a cup of hot coffee, drank it and went away again. Irene broke into sobs once more:

"Oh dear, oh dear, how will our children live?!"

Thunderstorm raged outside. Robert grimly shut the windows' curtains. He felt like in a movie of some kind: when a movie's character experiences difficulties, the weather is always like this.

Only Robert couldn't hope for a brave hero to run and shoot every villain (well, the people who sent the bills) with his ever-present pistol.

Suddenly, the windows opened wide and a white barn-owl flew into the hall. As it reached the dumbfounded people, it turned into a fierce-looking but handsome man with messy blond hair, dressed in a dark-scarlet cape.

"Oh, Robert, I think I'm going crazy," Irene groaned, putting her hand to her forehead.

"If you are, I am as well," Robert said. The stranger laughed:

"I assure you, you're not going crazy. Of course, I don't usually come to people without being invited…"

"Who are you?" Robert exclaimed.

"Jareth, the Goblin King. I've come to help you."

"We are going mad, dear," Irene said to her husband. "It's all Sarah's book."

"Partly, it is," the Goblin King chuckled. "But I'm very much real."

He outstretched his hand, and a crystal orb appeared on it. Robert and Irene stared at the orb, shocked.

"If you take it, you will be given your dreams, even the most… prosaic ones. You'll get your jobs back, your son will grow up to be a celebrity, you'll move to New York in a few months… anything," Jareth explained. Robert frowned suspiciously:

"You're helping us for nothing, sir?"

"Naturally, I'm not!" Jareth said triumphantly. "I'm tired of just plain watching and waiting. I want to have your daughter's hand in marriage."

"What?" Robert cried, feeling like a drama character again. "Sarah's hand in marriage?"

"Mr. Williams, you may be certain that your daughter will be happy. Very happy," Jareth's cold fierce face brightened with a genuine feeling. "I've loved her for years, since I first saw her in that park. I come to your world regularly, you see, in an owl's shape. That is how I first saw Sarah. She will be my Queen Consort, she will have everything she needs and more. She will live in a fantasy world – isn't it her greatest wish?"

Irene looked at Robert. Robert looked at Irene. Then he slowly said:

"Your Majesty…"

"Oh, please, not the title!" Jareth laughed. "As my possible future father-in-law…"

"Sir," Robert continued, "we believe you, and it's extremely good of you to offer us help, but you need to talk to Sarah. We don't live in the Middle Ages. We need to know her opinion of all this."

"Fine."

"Sarah!" Robert called. "Come down here!"

In a few minutes, Sarah came running and stopped abruptly when she saw the King.

"You!" she cried breathlessly. "Why did you come again? You can't have Toby!"

"Sarah," Jareth said gently. "I don't want to have Toby. As far as I know, no one has wished him away anymore."

He took her hands in his:

"I've come to offer your family help."

"Help?" Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you offer anyone help?"

"You don't know me, Sarah," Jareth said. "I've helped many people. And basically it's only this time I want something in exchange. You as my wife, to be exact."

Sarah blinked:

"Y-you were serious two years ago? With the love songs and that offer?"

"Yes," Jareth sighed. The girl swallowed:

"I… I thought it was just a trick of yours… to stop me from finding Toby… I'm so _sorry_!"

"What is going on here?" Irene interrupted, exhausted and worn out.

"Sarah, just tell me whether you want to marry me – at least for your family's prosperity," Jareth whispered. "Let's discuss our past mistakes later."

Sarah looked around the house, which was virtually empty – everything was sold. She looked at her father and stepmother, who were thin and extremely tired and had dark circles under their eyes. She remembered that herself and Toby looked even worse.

"Yes," she nodded. "I think I may even grow to love you."


	2. Chapter 2

**The Talk**

Jareth sighed happily and turned to Robert and Irene.

"Well? Do you want the crystal?"

He threw the crystal orb to them, and Robert caught it. Irene smiled reluctantly:

"Oh, thank you, sir, then you have our permission to marry Sarah."

"Yes, you do," Robert agreed, but looked at his daughter with uncertainty. Sarah gave him a reassuring nod.

"I'll take her away now," Jareth said. "Our wedding will take place in a week, and my servants will bring you to our world."

Sarah barely had a chance to say a hurried goodbye when the world swirled around her. In a moment, Jareth and her were standing in the familiar Throne Room of Jareth's palace. It was empty, save for none other than Hoggle, who was sitting in the corner and writing down the number of shot fairies.

"Sarah!" Hoggle exclaimed joyfully and ran to them. Jareth glanced at him jealously and stood in his way:

"Yes, Heggert, Sarah is back, and she is going to marry me."

"Marry? You?" Hoggle's eyes grew wide as saucers. He forgot even to correct the Goblin King who, as usual, misspelled his name.

"Hoggle, I didn't tell any of you when I called you. I didn't want you to worry about me," Sarah sighed. "Our family was left with literally only a few dollars. Both Dad and Irene lost their jobs. We were desperate. His Majesty offered to help us. I… er… agreed to marry him for the gratitude."

Hoggle was about to say something, but Jareth said authoritatively:

"Now, would you mind going somewhere else and giving me and my fiancée a little privacy?"

Sarah smiled:

"Hoggle, please don't worry. He is not going to kill me."

The dwarf looked doubtful, but the expression on Jareth's face was such that he bowed and left. Soon, his loud voice was heard. He told everyone he met that Sarah had returned.

Jareth and Sarah stood in silence for several moments, until Jareth drew her closer and said:

"I missed you."

The girl blushed and averted her eyes. But Jareth's hand caught her chin and forced her to meet his stare.

"You didn't think that the cruel Goblin King would miss you?" he hissed almost angrily. "You didn't think that dreaded six-word quote of yours would haunt me every minute of these two years?"

"Goblin King…" Sarah began.

"I have a name."

"Jareth… please, understand me. I truly thought you were flirting with me just to waste a bit more of my time. I had no idea your feelings and intentions were serious! I… I was almost a child back then!" she cried remorsefully. "Honestly, I will learn to love you now! You're so handsome and charming I think I already have a crush on you."

As she spoke, Jareth's anger faded. At her last words he smiled:

"Oh, Sarah… I wanted to hate you so often and so much during these years, but I never managed to, precious."

He leaned down to kiss her, but Sarah suddenly felt a jolt of fear. She stiffened in his arms, and the Goblin King felt it. So instead of kissing her lips he just lightly touched her forehead. Sarah's cheeks grew redder.

"What would be my duties as your Consort?" she asked to get away from the embarrassment. "Will it be difficult?"

"Nothing you are unable to do," Jareth replied lightly. "You will learn, I assure you. I think I will better manage the major political and economical matters, and you will control things like charity, festivities and such."

"To think of it – I read so many fairytales, but don't know anything about your world. Your festivities, your culture…"

"Don't be frightened, you will soon know all this. I will teach you," Jareth smiled as his hand caressed her cheek. "My people will be happy to have such a wonderful Queen. They've hoped for it, just as I did."

"Hoped for it? I've made a mess in the Goblin City, threw away the Fireys' heads…"

"Sarah!" Jareth exclaimed. "Do you believe the Goblin Kingdom wants an all-proper, polite lady to rule them? Thankfully, no. Even the elves, whom you've met in the Crystal Ballroom, with their heads full of grace and etiquette, never wish for such a Queen. And think about me! I would have thrown a wife like that into the Bog of Eternal Stench. Honesty, imagination, quick mind, mischief, sense of humor – that's what my subjects need in their rulers. When they saw you, they knew that instant you would make an excellent Queen for them."

"And when did _you_ think so?" Sarah wanted to know.

"Oh, several years ago, when I was in my owl form and saw you reciting Tennyson's poems in the park," Jareth whispered. "The sight of you almost blinded me. I've never seen such breathtaking beauty. After that I came every day to watch you. I continued to do it after your refusal. You didn't notice…"

The girl blushed once more. There were some days in her past when she had wanted nobody to see her.

"Will you permit me to see my Labyrinth friends?" she asked.

"Why not?" Jareth raised an eyebrow. "It's not like in the Middle Ages of your world, when the Queen was expected to ignore plain people. You can go anywhere you like in the Labyrinth and beyond – everywhere in my kingdom. I'll give you the teleporting ability, so that you wouldn't waste much time. Only…" he paused and looked on the ground.

"What's it?"

"My darling Sarah, please tell me: do you have any warm feelings towards Hoggle?" Jareth asked slowly. She assured him:

"Nothing warmer than friendship."

"Oh, I've been so jealous of him," Jareth cringed. "You kissed him!"

"As a friend!"

"Even so, promise me it won't happen again," the Goblin King said sternly. "You can visit him as often as you like, but you will only kiss your husband."

"Fine," Sarah nodded. "And you will not throw him into the Bog again!"

"Agreed," Jareth smiled contentedly. "Now, my dear, what do you want? You can already choose a dress for the wedding."

"Oh yes, I'd love it!" Sarah cried happily. Though she still couldn't say she _loved_ her future husband, she wanted to look beautiful for him on the special day.


End file.
